The Capeless Crusaders
by srusse87
Summary: Written for Sunhawk's Mission Pic Contest. As a favor, Duo is helping Heero complete a mission for Preventers.


Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing. I don't even own a box of Girl Scout Cookies.

_This was written for Sunhawk's mission pic challenge._

**The Capeless Crusaders**

"Refresh my memory. Why am I doing this?"

"Because I asked you to."

"Oh, that's right. Remind me not to listen to you anymore."

Duo propped himself up on his knee and peered around the corner of the building. They needed the guard to move away from the north wall but he was being less then obliging.

"You know, I really should have learned my lesson by now. When you come a knock'n it never means good things. It's never, 'want to buy some Girl Scout Cookies, Duo?' or 'Let's go out for drinks!' Nope, with you it's always, 'let's go save the world!' and off we trot once again, to risk life and limb."

Heero gave a quiet snort as he scanned the courtyard at their feet. "It's a simple reconnaissance job. It hardly counts as saving the world."

Duo gently tapped his fingers against the wall as he continued his observation of the guard below.

"Well it's a potentially life-threatening situation. Do you see this?" He gestured idly with the one hand, while the rest of his body remained absolutely still. " This is blood. I've been injured, man! And look down there. Those aren't water pistols the guards are toting around, you know."

He sighed and shook his head. "Why couldn't you have found a more sedate occupation? Like landscaping. There's a vocation for you. I'd willingly help you trim a hedge or two."

"You're willingly committing what is technically considered an illegal act of infiltration with me."

Duo rolled his eyes. "You can just say B & E Heero, it's less work on the mouth."

They were silent for the next few moments until Heero slid his hand down and tapped the wall above Duo's own busy fingers. "Thank you, by the way."

Duo shrugged slightly and shifted position to get more comfortable. "Hey, don't sweat it. You called and I came."

"Always?" Heero's voice was quiet, the question no more than a whisper.

Duo tipped his head back to throw Heero a look before smiling. "Yeah, always. Besides who else would keep you company on a boring job like this. I can't imagine many people would enjoy being stuck on a ledge in the middle of a highly fortified compound with the likes of Heero Yuy."

Heero chuckled quietly. "You did agree to do the job."

Duo sighed. "That I did."

"_What's the job?" Duo slouched in his seat and twirled a pen between his fingers._

"_Highly encrypted computer data." A grizzled looking man in his forties stepped into the room, "Heero can take care of that. Getting in and out, that's apparently where you come in."_

_Duo tipped back in his chair and studied the man, a slight smirk hovering on his face. "I see."_

"_Duo, this is Agent Griffin. He's been putting this operation together for a couple months." Heero kept a firm stare on Duo's face, the unspoken 'try not to piss him off too much' passing between them. It was acknowledged with a shrug and thump as Duo righted the chair and offered his hand to the older man._

"_Duo Maxwell, apparently at your service."_

_Heero sighed and shook his head._

"You could work for Preventers full time." If Heero's voice startled Duo he gave no sign as they continued their monotonous study of the guards.

"What, and be tied to a leash like you? No thanks."

"It's not like that. Though I will admit, we aren't allowed to deploy explosives as much as in the past." It was hard, but Duo could detect a faint hint of regret in Heero's last comment and struggled not to laugh.

"You see? And where would Shinigami be without his bag of booms?"

"On an island off the coast, working part-time as a beach side bartender."

Duo chuckled quietly. "Guilty as charged, your honor. But what can I say? The sun, the sand, the ocean . . . "

"Shoot anyone lately?"

This time Duo turned his head to grin at Heero. "Nah, I just save that for you."

_Duo studied the blue prints, tracing a route with his finger. "I'll go in through here." Gently tapping the spot, he looked up at Heero and grinned. "Putting your life in my hands, Heero? Sure you want to do that?"_

_Heero looked up and answered seriously. "I trust you with my life, that's never been a question in my mind Duo."_

"_Well." Duo coughed, "Guess I'd better take good care of it then."_

_Heero smirked, "Guess you'd better."_

_Throughout the exchange, Griffin had been studying the path marked out by Duo's finger. "The old water main? It's not feasible; we checked it already. There are cameras and sensors monitoring the entire length of the pipe."_

_Duo glanced over and shrugged, "Yes, but not when it's full of water. They'll have to shut everything off while the pumps are working, too much interference for the sensors."_

"_That's impossible; you'd have five minutes tops, to get through the tunnel undetected; plus bypass the security system at the exit point."_

_Duo chuckled darkly, eyes flashing. "Nothing's impossible, Agent Griffin."_

"It's about damn time." Duo growled and stood, cheek to wall as he did one final check of the grounds around the corner. "The guards gone back inside. Let's blow this popsicle stand." Heero threw him a sharp look and he grinned. "Not literally of course."

"_So you plan on getting through security by going in the water main and then letting Heero in from the inside. It might work," a skeptical look was directed at Duo, "but how do you propose to get yourselves out of the facility?"_

_Duo grinned and ran a hand through his bangs. "The same way we got in of course. The point of the mission is to retrieve the data unnoticed, right? So they don't spook and wipe their tracks?" Griffin nodded. "Well then I'll lock up behind Heero and let myself out the way I came in. We'll call it the last dance of the night between Lady Luck and myself."_

_Griffin shook his head and looked over where Heero was propped against the wall. "Where did you get this guy?"_

_Heero appeared to take the question quite seriously as he addressed the older agent. "On an island, working as a bartender."_

Getting off the wall quietly consisted of dangling from the edge by their fingertips and then dropping the rest of the way to land in a crouch. Duo ignored the slight stabs of pain the strain placed on his forearm and thigh. Quickly checking the bandages to make sure they were secure, he nodded to Heero and they set off toward the door across the compound, making sure to stay in the shadows and avoid the periodic search from the light above.

Finally reaching the door, Duo quickly tapped in the security code he had fiddled to allow them access into and out of the compound. Bowing slightly, he gestured Heero through. Mouthing, "See you on the outside," he flashed a grin and shut the door behind Heero's retreating back. Quickly relocking the door he set out, once again remaining to the shadows until he reached the small metal grate that marked the entrance to the water main.

Checking his watch Duo scowled, quietly lifted the grate, and dropped down into the freezing water below. He was running out of time. Holding his breath, Duo kicked off and let the current carry him toward the exit grate. Fortunately it was easier this time because he wasn't forced to move against the flow of water. Despite the delay over the guard, he should have time before the security kicked back on. Barely.

_Duo stood in the woods studying the small metal grate before him and sighed. "Never thought I'd appreciate being a small guy. It's gonna be a tight squeeze." _

_The twisted wires were cut and quickly pried back, allowing a space only large enough for Duo to barely slip through. He had to be able to bend them back so their breach wasn't noticeable to the monitoring cameras. _

"_Damn." The edges of the grate sliced into his arm and thigh as he twisted and slid into the entrance. Slipping into the water flow, he began swimming, continuing to swear in his mind all the while. The water, being directed out of the compound and toward the sea, was flowing in the opposite direction making movement slow and tedious. Reaching the grate that led into the compound, he quickly tapped into the security box monitoring the entrance. After relooping the code so anyone watching the system would see nothing wrong, he opened the door for Heero who tossed him his boots and gear. Quickly getting himself organized, they made their way to the computer room._

"_Just like old times, eh Heero?" Duo propped himself against the door and kept an ear out for anyone approaching the room. _

_His remark was ignored as Heero continued to tap quickly at the computer before him, ejecting disks and sliding in more as his fingers flew across the keyboard._

"_Yep, just like old times."_

Duo reached the exit grate and grabbed the bars to steady himself as the water continued to rush past. Pulling slowly, he eased himself through the sharp grate and squirmed through to land on the ground outside. Quickly he stood and started using the crowbar he'd left at the entrance to gently bend the bars back into position. Glancing at his watch he swore, only forty more seconds before the sensors kicked on and the entry point was monitored once again.

Suddenly Heero appeared, running through the woods quietly. With Duo working the bars on the right side, Heero started slowly pushing the grating on the left and together they bent them back into shape. Stepping away, Duo checked his watch once more and then pointed to the grate.

"It's hot now. Good timing, I'd never have finished before the system kicked back on." Heero nodded and turned to head out toward where they had a jeep waiting. Quickly though, Duo grabbed his shoulder and spun him back around, lifting up a hand to peer at it in the moonlight.

"Shit Heero, you could have done some serious damage." The gloves Heero had been wearing were shredded across the palms and his hands were lined with shallow cuts.

Heero shrugged and also examined his hands, "They're fine, it doesn't even require stitches. You on the other hand," he glanced down at the bandages Duo had hastily wrapped around his own wounds. "You might want somebody to look at those."

Duo just grinned and started off toward the jeep, Heero's feet not making a sound as he followed. "Nah, they're ok." He chuckled, "Guess I need to go on a diet."

_Hearing the oncoming footsteps of a patrolling guard, Duo walked back over to Heero. "Are you gonna be done anytime soon? Cause our not-so-friendly neighborhood patrolman is making his way here."_

_Heero ejected a disk and quickly typed in a few more commands. The screen turned black and he stood, glancing around the room quickly before looking back to Duo. _

"_Suggestions?"_

_Duo grinned. "Out the window to the ledge my friend, looks like we get to play Batman and Robin."_

"_In that outfit, it's more like Batman and Catwoman."_

_Duo who had pushed open the window and started to climb out, ducked his head back in to scowl at Heero. "Now that's just low, man. It's not my fault I got the skin tight body suit. Next time I'm gonna wear the Rambo costume."_

_Heero smirked and followed after Duo, closing the window and quickly inching over the ledge to where Duo stood, peering around the corner. "Did Rambo have a side kick?"_

_Duo settled into a crouch, his gun out and trained on the guard below in case they were spotted. "Don't think so. But I'm not really side kick material, you know?"_

"_I suppose not." Heero also had his gun out, keeping an eye on the ground below. "What about Batman and Nightwing?"_

_Duo raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Wow, you been hitting the old comic books lately?"_

"_Somebody left a copy of Batman in the locker room. I found it rather intriguing." Heero shifted to find a better purchase on the ledge. "Besides, didn't you tell me once that everyone needs a hobby?"_

_Duo nodded slowly. "I suppose I did. Guess I never thought you'd take it seriously though."_

"_Do you have a hobby?"_

"_Well if somebody dropped by once in a while for something other than missions, maybe they'd know." Duo smirked and ignored the scowl Heero directed his way._

"_But yes, I do have hobbies. Other than bartending."_

Heero and Duo rode back to the landing field silently, each content within their own thoughts. A plane ride and two choppers later, they landed on the roof of Preventer Headquarters. Stripping out of the thermal wetsuit and tossing it in a locker to be cleaned, Duo looked over at Heero and grinned. "You never said who got to be Nightwing and who got to be Batman."

Heero paused in removing his own gear, "I thought we'd just take turns."

Duo threw back his head and laughed. "Ok then Batman. Till next time." Spinning on his heel, he offered a wave before heading out the door.

Heero's eyes followed him down the hall; a small smile on his face. "Till next time."

"_You know you're my best friend, right?" Duo's fingers continuing their quiet tapping._

_Heero paused in his steady observation of their surroundings and looked over at Duo. "As you are mine."_

"_Ah. Cause I realize we don't see each other much, other than during these thrilling missions of yours. Didn't want you to think it was because I was mad at you or anything."_

_Heero couldn't see Duo's expression fully but heard the slight wistfulness in his voice._

"_I know."_

Duo looked up from the engine he was working on to find Heero standing in the garage doorway. He wiped the grease from his hands and groaned, "You've gotta be kidding me, it's only been a week. They probably haven't even finished processing the paperwork on that last job!"

Heero nodded. "Of course, I understand. You can always say no." He pulled a box out from behind his back. "Duo, do you want to buy some Girl Scout Cookies?"

Duo widened his eyes in surprise and slowly walked over. "What, no mission?" Heero shook his head.

"No saving the world?" Heero shook his head again.

"No Batman and Nightwing?" Heero smiled and held up the package in his hands. "No, just Heero and Duo and a box of Thin Mints."

Their eyes met and they both grinned. Instant recognition, two best friends.


End file.
